Hiking the Best of Yellowstone and Grand Tetons – 5 days

Welcome to Jackson, Wyoming! Start the day nice and early with breakfast at your hotel and a morning welcome meeting with your group. From Jackson, you’ll take a transfer north into Yellowstone National Park – one of the USA’s favourite spots for hiking. Your trekking adventure begins with one of the most beautiful hikes in the park. The trail travels through picturesque subalpine parklands full of wildflowers and bighorn sheep – which are sometimes seen grazing in nearby meadows. Soak up panoramic views of the meadows, river valleys and distant mountain ranges and spot sights like Yellowstone Lake, the Teton Range and Electric Peak along the way. After a steady climb to the summit, you’ll have an incredible view of the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone – a giant rift in the surrounding forested hills. It was formed approximately 10,000 years ago, when a large glacial ice dam in Hayden Valley burst, flooding the canyon and creating two thunderous waterfalls and the multicoloured canyon walls. After your hike, take a private transfer to the canyon for a short stroll out to Artist Point, for one of the most phenomenal waterfall views in North America – the Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River.

Fuel up on breakfast this morning and get ready for today’s hike on the Storm Point trail – along the glittering expanse of Yellowstone Lake. This trail is a relatively flat loop that leads to a stunning vista of the lakeshore – which is a corridor for grizzly bears in the spring. The hike begins at Indian Pond (look out for bison) and continues through a lodgepole pine forest to a bluff, overlooking the picturesque shore. Walk past enormous boulders, home to a colony of yellow-bellied marmots, and if you’re lucky, watch them basking in the sun. After, take a private transfer to Old Faithful where you’ll explore the Upper Geyser Basin. Yellowstone National Park is home to 60% of the world’s geysers and most of them can be found here, including Old Faithful – named due to the regularity with which it erupts (about 20 times per day). Experience the basin’s diverse geysers from the boardwalks – everything from the thin fountains to the massive eruptions are an impressive sight, to say the least. Tonight, head back to your accommodation for an included group dinner.

This morning after breakfast will be your final chance to soak in the beauty of Yellowstone. Your hike this morning takes you through the area’s distinctive meadows and lodgepole pine forests, to a 60 m waterfall that plunges off a pine-studded cliff. After soaking up the sights and sounds of the falls, stop at the Grand Prismatic overlook. An otherworldly sight, this sun-like spring is the largest hot spring in the United States and one of the most iconic features of the park – a great way to close out your time in Yellowstone. After your hike, take a shuttle back to Jackson Hole, passing through some of North America’s most stunning landscapes. Check into Jackson Lodge and enjoy some free time to relax and recharge. Tonight, join your group for a dinner out on the town in Jackson.

After breakfast this morning, set out for Grand Teton National Park. The Tetons are an imposing range with towering granite peaks, glaciers, thundering rivers and diverse flora and fauna. The hike itself features abundant views of the Tetons, which soar into the sky above you (be sure to bring your camera for some great pics). Explore blue and green lakes and creeks and look out for the famed moose herds as you make your way through this stunning trail. After returning to the trailhead, sit down for a picnic lunch with your group and then set out for a relaxing road-based tour to the key viewpoints and highlights of the park. Your leader will explain the natural and cultural history that makes the Tetons one of America’s most famous mountain ranges.

After a relaxing breakfast, head back to Grand Teton National Park this morning for one of the most popular activities of the area – whitewater rafting below the grandeur of the Tetons on the Snake River. The 12 km whitewater stretch through the scenic Snake River Canyon includes a mix of calm sections, where you can take in the scenery and watch for wildlife, and some exciting class 3 and 3+ rapids. Plan on getting wet today! After your rafting adventure, settle the adrenaline with a leisurely picnic lunch beneath the Tetons and eventually make your way back to Jackson, where your trip will come to an end. If you would like to extend your time in Jackson, just speak to your booking agent.